Malaysia, Japan to deepen defence ties through joint exercises, procurement

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is seeking to strengthen defence ties with Japan through more joint military exercises, a maritime cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) and government-to-government (G2G) procurement.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said the plans were discussed during his working visit to Japan from Oct 18 to 21, his first since taking office.

He said the visit aimed to strengthen bilateral defence relations amid changing geopolitical challenges, particularly in the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca.

"In safeguarding our country's defence, security and sovereignty, we need partners we can trust, in whom we have confidence, and who can help us," he said in a recorded press conference following the visit.

During the visit, Khaled met Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to sign Japan's 2026 Official Security Assistance (OSA) package for Malaysia.

The package will fund a Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) worth 1.65 billion yen (about RM40 million).

Malaysia has benefited from the OSA programme since its launch in 2023, with Khaled saying the country received assets worth about RM80 million under the programme last year.

"I had asked Tokyo to make future assistance more focused, given Malaysia's position as a maritime nation, and to strengthen Malaysia's maritime capabilities, including Maritime Domain Awareness. I also asked Japan to continue programmes like the OSA," he said.

In a meeting with Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Khaled said both sides discussed elevating engagements to ministerial level, with annual meetings held alternately in both countries.

He said this would allow issues discussed by officials to be decided directly by ministers, enabling faster and smoother implementation.

"Defence cooperation between the two countries was still new, as Japan had only recently changed its policy to allow it to sell military equipment and take part in exercises.

"We see this as something that must be pursued urgently, quickly, broadly and in depth," he said.

Both countries agreed to hold more military exercises and establish an MoU on maritime cooperation.

Khaled said the agreement would provide a structured framework for Japan to help Malaysia strengthen its ability to safeguard its maritime areas.

He said both sides also agreed to pursue military procurement through a G2G approach, as Malaysia viewed Japan as a potential supplier of military technology and assets.

He said Malaysia wanted government-to-government purchases to include technology transfers and support the development of the local defence industry.

"Japan has expressed its willingness to cooperate on technology transfer and local defence industry development," he said.

Khaled said this was important for Malaysia to achieve sovereign capability, enabling it to produce its own equipment, whether complete assets or components.

"We hope these decisions will truly be implemented and become reality, bringing benefit to our country," he said.

He expressed hope that Malaysia-Japan relations would grow closer and be built on greater mutual trust as both countries faced regional challenges.